First World

First World is the generic title of Dragon Candy Productions’ tale of a magician in a futuristic world. His hobby of sliding between realities brings him in contact with Kanun, a cat-man who enlists his help against an evil ruler. It’s a mundane plot, but a neat artistic style and great backgrounds, character designs, and dialogue save it from mediocrity.

The one fault of the narrative is that Philip Bourassa, First World’s writer and artist, has chosen to use Kanun in an expository role; the character’s storytelling is well done, but advancing the main plot should be the goal for First World #2.

It’s difficult to believe that Bourassa hasn’t been in comics for a long time; his style shows missteps but is otherwise striking. Bourassa claims European influences on his work; this is not the least bit surprising. First World could easily be mistaken for a story in one of those big European albums.

Chalk up Bourassa for a candidate for next year’s “Talent Deserving of Wider Recognition” Eisner. In the meantime, get in on this title while it’s still an independent.